Democrats Imperil White House Plan to Wean US Off Russian Uranium
- Key appropriators said to balk at Biden team’s funding request
- White House request for $1.5 billion seen as down payment
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Key congressional Democrats are balking at a White House request for $1.5 billion in upcoming government funding legislation for a cache of enriched uranium, imperiling a top priority of the Biden administration aimed at weaning the US off of Russian imports of the fuel used in nuclear reactors.
The request is part of a broader plan to spend billions to create a US-based industry for uranium enrichment and other services needed to create reactor fuel through the purchase of the raw material from domestic producers. The issue has been a major focus for Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and others in the Biden administration who are concerned about the reliance on Russia, which overall supplies more than 50% of global enriched uranium.